


End of Abyss

by Sheikahchika



Category: Jak and Daxter
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Gen, Horror - Mild, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-04 07:32:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14588112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheikahchika/pseuds/Sheikahchika
Summary: More than a decade has passed since Haven City has reached an era of peace and stability, and Jak has found himself unwillingly pulled from a life of danger and into the domestic. However, following a string of bizarre events focused around him and Haven City, a strange, precursor-like entity calling themselves Duona claims that they need Jak's assistance in sealing a rift they refer to as the Abyss, and offering him a power beyond comprehension in order to do so. The rift has the potential to destroy multiple realities and timelines, as well as causing them to converge before their inevitable destruction. However, nothing is as it seems at the end of the Abyss.





	1. Prologue - The Violet Office

Prologue.  
The Violet Office

The silence that filled the stone room was pressing enough to instill madness. In a secluded corner of the chamber, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of one’s blood running through their veins, filling their ears with the sounds of their own pulsing, oozing flesh. Even other sounds seemed dampened by the eerie space. Footsteps on the marble floor became nothing but muted thuds, and not a single echo could be heard rebounding off the columns and parapets.

The young man stepped into the round room, taking a deep breath as he adjusted the sizable gauntlet hanging on his wrist. He pushed back the heavy, velvet curtain and peered into the room. Inside was a leather armchair, an antique lamp, a small cherry wood table, upon which was an ash try and a lit cigar, and a cart lined with a variety of glass bottles, the contents of which were most likely alcohol. The walls were mostly obscured by the dour curtains and the only source of light came from the gently flickering lamp.

“I didn’t think you’d be here this time…” the young man spoke.

A figure sat comfortably on the chair, swirling a snifter of amber liquid. He seemed to be much older, and his presence reflected the gloominess of the room. He chuckled, though his laugh almost seemed to be swallowed by the silence. The young man rolled his large blue eyes and approached, resting a hand on his hip.

“I didn’t think you’d be here this time either,” the man shrugged. His voice was deep and raspy, as if ravaged by decades of tobacco abuse, “Can I interest you in a drink this time, Edward?”

“No,” the young man snapped, “I’m not here for a drink…I’m not here to chat…I’m not here to exchange any kind of pleasantries.”

He then stormed up to the man, holding his opened hand out in front of him. His counterpart grumbled and rested his snifter on the table and interlocked his fingers, resting his chin on top and his elbows on the arms of the chair.

“Give me one good reason I should give you another shot…” the man grunted, looking up at him.

“I won’t screw up this time.”

“You said that the last time and the time before that and the time-”

“Shut up…”

“Testy…tsk tsk…that’s not going to get me to give you another chance. I don’t understand why you don’t just accept the inevitable.”

“Because it doesn’t have to be this way. I know I can change it…”

“You’re running out of time, Edward.”

“I know that…”

“I don’t think you do. You realize that this will be your last chance to reverse the clock, right?”

“I-I…I didn’t. No.”

“That’s what I thought.”

The man rose from his chair and snapped his fingers. In a swell of deep, violet flames, the lounge was consumed in fire, and replaced by an elegant desk. The surface of the polished wood seemed to be covered in an array of bizarre trinkets of an indeterminate origin. The man walked behind and sat down in the summoned seat and lifted a stack of papers from the desk and began to thumb through the pages.

“Fourteen…”

“Pardon me?”

“You’ve made fourteen attempts to set things right.”

“No, that can’t be right.”

“I have a record of it. Every attempt you’ve made to save the girl and her father. And every attempt ends with the same results. Tell me, what will be different this time?”

The young man remained silent. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth.

“Fourteen? You’re sure about that?”

“I’ll humor you…” the man chuffed, tossing him the stack of papers, “You can take these with you. Read them over and over, and take lots of extensive notes. Try to figure out what you did wrong, because clearly you’re losing track, and use this knowledge to your advantage. You know he can’t touch me here, and he’s yet to catch on. Once he finds out what you're up to, it’ll be over. Think smarter, Edward…you’re better than this.”

He clutched the stack of papers in his hands and sighs. He held out his free hand, expectantly. The man quietly rose from his seat and walked over to the young man, and placed a shard of a red stone into his palm. It glowed lightly before it began sinking into the surface of his skin. He let out a hiss as it burrowed into his body. After a moment of agony, it faded.

He took a deep breath as his eyes reflected the color of the thin stone. He gave the man a nod and reached down, seizing his gauntleted wrist. He pulled on a small lever that seemed to slice across the length of his wrist, letting out a loud cry and was gone in a flash of red light.

The man let out an exhausted sigh as he snapped his fingers, and his office returned to the abysmal lounge that it had been prior. He flopped down in his chair and lifted his glass from the table, throwing back the remainder of its contents and proceeding to take a few puffs of his cigar. Two young women appeared from the shadows and moved to each side of him, resting their pale hands on his shoulders.

“He exhausts me…” he grunted.

“Do you think he’ll be back, sir?” the first woman inquired.

“No…” he replied, shaking his head, “I was serious when I said that this was his last chance. He won’t survive another travel to the past…”

“Unfortunate…I’ve grown fond of him,” she continued.

“It’s sad…I think I have too…”

“So think he’s going to fail again?” the second woman chimed, canting her head.

“What I think is irrelevant…” he chuffed, holding out his glass to the first woman, as she plucked it from his hand and made her way to the cart, promptly pouring him another glass. She returned and placed it in his opened hand. He said nothing as he gently rested his nose on the lip of the glass and inhaled deeply before taking a sip.

“Which one of you selected the brandy?” he inquires, raising a brow, “My compliments…”


	2. Chapter 1 - Stillness

Chapter 1.  
Stillness

It was raining. Rain was common enough in this area. Storms were not an unexpected phenomenon, especially in the warmer months, and the soft clouds that hung above indicated that the dreariness would linger for some time.

The typically lively streets were empty and slick with water. Occasionally, a gentle roll of thunder could be heard, bounding through the air. However, the city remained mostly quiet. Morning turned into afternoon, and the afternoon faded into the evening with little change. On the whole, there was a welcomed calmness in Haven City, one that had persisted for years prior to this day’s particular rainfall.

Perhaps it was the lack of significance within the city limits, or perhaps it was just the placidity of this day in particular, but several of Haven’s residents were starting to take notice.

At the center of the municipality, located at the site of the Baron’s old palace, stood the New Haven Consulate. It was a long, regal, and relatively young looking building that did’t seem to exceed four stories in height. On any other day, this place would have been the epicenter of the city’s daily proceedings, but it seemed that most of those that spent their days here were inside, seeking refuge.

However, inside of the official space, buried back within the winding marble halls of the fledgling establishment, was a large office, guarded by two towering, wooden doors. Behind them, sitting at an overburdened desk, littered with documents and files that needed to be read and reviewed thoroughly, was a woman.

She was older, around her mid-thirties, with the stress physically manifesting around her reflecting her status within the city. Her red, dreadlocked hair had been pulled back out of her face, with the exception of a few stray locks falling lazily at her shoulders. Her navy uniform was as orderly and practical as any formal military uniform should be. Despite her tired appearance, she seemed to be fairly pulled together.

A sudden knock on the door commanded the woman’s attention from her mountainous work as she dropped the file in her hands.

“Come in…” she commanded. Her voice was hardened, but it was neither cold or hostile.

“Commander Praxis,” a young, round, and nervous looking woman with short, fiery orange hair shuffled into the room, holding a large, leather plan book in her arms, “You have a-”

“Ashelin,” she responded, promptly.

“E-Excuse me, commander?” the young woman blinked, taken aback.

“Ashelin,” she spoke again, “You can call me Commander Ashelin or Commander or just Ashelin…we’ve been over this.”

“Forgive me, Commander,” the young woman smiled awkwardly and bowed her head, “It won’t happen again.”

“What did you need?”

“Jak is here to see you.”

Ashelin paused. She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before pinching the space between her eyes. Her assistant raised a brow and looked over her shoulder.

“Should I send him away, Commander?” she asked, pointing over her shoulder with her free hand.

“No,” Ashelin responded, shaking her head, “No. Send him in. Whatever he has to say…” she paused and pondered for a moment, “I’m sure it’s at least entertaining.”

“Of course,” she replied, “He’ll be in momentarily.”

“Oh,” Ashelin called before the girl was out of earshot, “Lorena, before you go.”

“Hmm?” she blinked, her hand resting on the handle of the door, “Yes?”

“Clear my schedule for the rest of the day…once you’ve finished you may leave for the day, if you so desire.”

“O-Oh! Thank you commander! Are you sure?”

“Don’t make me change my mind, Lieutenant…”

“Y-yes ma’am!”

Lorena squeaked and hurried out of the office, closing the door behind her. Ashelin let out another long sigh as she rested her elbows on the desk and placed her chin on her hands. She was ready for whatever she was about to be met with. In the past few months, her conversations with him had always been the same; loud, defiant, and full of protest.

She let her hair down for the moment, and ran her gloved fingers through her dreads. A swift knock at the doors then followed. She hesitated, and finally spoke.

“Come in.”

The door swung open with an impatient force and he swaggered inside.

He was in his thirties, perhaps a few years younger than her. He didn’t seem nearly as worn from years of official business or bureaucracy but there were a few prominent healed scars littered across his face. His blonde hair had been cut closer to his green roots, and a pronounced tuft of green hair sat on his chin, around a few days worth of stubble. His uniform seemed to reflect an equal devil-may-care attitude, as it was more suited for combat, but less well-maintained than his counterpart’s. A polished rifle was slung over his shoulder that seemed too new to be standard issue, and deviated from the standard design.

She furrowed her brows and looked him over.

“You’re dressed for orders…” Ashelin barked, crossing her arms, “Why?”

“Because I’m ready for them,” Jak retorted, resting a hand on his hip and reflecting her disposition, “I haven’t been on patrol all day-”

“You’re on leave…” she fired back, sitting back down and going through her paperwork, “Go home.”

“You know,” he replied, pacing around the desk, “I didn’t really ask to go on leave…so, I think it’s only fair that-”

“You’re bored,” Ashelin chuffed, keeping her eyes fixed on the files, “And you want something to do. Look elsewhere. You’re not going to get anything from me. You’re supposed to be at home.”

“For what?” he exclaims, “I’m not sick! I’m not out of commission. I’m not injured. I’m just-”

“Your wife’s due any day,” she snapped, “We have things handled without you. I know that must be hard for the great hero to hear but we really, really don’t need you on  
patrol. I’m pretty sure busting teenagers for being teenagers is above you anyway.”

“Didn’t realize you wanted me gone so bad,” he grunted.

“Didn’t realize parenthood had made you so passive aggressive.”

The pair paused and locked eyes for a moment. She didn’t seem keen on compromising, and also didn't seem too keen on hearing an argument. Jak took a deep breath and looked towards the door.

“Why do you want to go on patrol so bad?” she finally asked, resting her hands on the desk.

“Would it make you happy to admit that I'm bored?”

“Not really. Is it the reason? Because if so, I have plenty of paperwork if you’d like.”

“I really would rather not do that.”

“Good, because I was joking. City planning is not your forte.”

He stops and chuckles, “Neither is law enforcement, and yet here we are.”

“Good to know you still have a sense of humor.”

“Do you?”

“I never did.”

“Oh stop. You aren’t always as serious as a heart attack.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Anyway, go home. Be with your wife. I’d hate for her to go into labor while you’re stuck on route.”

Jak lets out a long sigh and looks over to the door. He adjusts the strap over his shoulder and purses his lips, rolling his neck before he turned away from his counterpart.

“You have a point,” he admitted, “I’m just a bit stir-crazy, you know?”

“You went from hero of man, to the domestic life pretty quickly. I don’t blame you.”

He remained quiet for some time. Ashelin took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair.

“Alright, well…if I’m being honest, I haven’t been entirely straight with you,” she finally spoke.

“Oh?” he asked, raising a brow.

She nodded and pulled a holographic tablet from underneath the slew of reports and began tapping her fingers against the light screen. He walked up beside her, leaning over and reading over her shoulder.

“There’s been some strange reports coming from the industrial district,” she explained, pulling up a number of fairly blurry photographs.

Jak narrowed his eyes as he looked them over. To say they were obscured would have been an understatement. While the photos seemed to be of the same alleyway, but each blackened figure seemed to change. While it wasn’t easy to discern a shape or contour, the silhouettes seemed to vary from humanoid to animalistic to outright abstract.

“A few people have gone missing from this area,” Ashelin went on, “And this is what we were met with when we pulled from the city’s security mainframe. Needless to say, it’s a bit suspicious.”

“How many people have gone missing?” Jak demanded, crossing his arms.

“Six since last week.”

“So you’re telling me that six people have gone missing in five days and you didn’t think I was needed?!”

“You have other priorities.”

“That’s at least one person every day!”

“I have someone on the case. I only bring it up in case you’d like to begin your own investigation.”

“Well, I would like to begin my own investigation.”

“Good. But on the condition that you don’t go running out there, sticking your nose in things tonight. Got it?”

“Then why bother bringing it up if I can’t investigate today!?”

“You can begin as soon as you’d like…but there’s a case file you need to go over. And trust me…”

She snickerd, reaching on to the desk and lifting up the heftiest file there. She took it and pushed it into his chest. For a moment, he scrambled, trying to keep all the contents in his hands.

“It’s going to be a lot for you to take in before you can move to field work,” she chuckled.

“I get it now…” he grumbled, “Busy work wasn’t what I had in mind…”

“It’ll keep you occupied,” she shrugged, playfully, “Get to work…”

She sat back down at her desk and shooed him out the door. He rolled his eyes and shoulders his way out into the hall. He let the door slam behind him and he sighed as he took a moment to thumb through the pages. He seemed to be so lost in his thoughts and mild frustration that he hadn’t paid attention ton Lorena, who was lingering outside. He knocked into her, causing her to let out a little squeak. He blinked and shook his head, snapping back to reality.

“Sorry…I didn’t see you there…” he said, a bit absentmindedly.

“N-No!” she chimed, shaking her head and waving it off, “I really…uhm…shouldn’t have been eavesdropping. F-Forgive me, sir.”

“It’s fine,” Jak replied, trying not to roll his eyes at her excessive meekness. He then narrowed his eyes and looked her over, “Lieutenant…”

“Yes, sir?”

“What do you know about the disappearances in the industrial district?”

“M-Me?! Oh…well, that depends on what you’d like to know right now, sir. It’s a relatively new case. I know Haeger’s heading the investigation…that was, uhm…until you  
returned from leave.”

“Walk with me,” he nodded, gesturing for her to follow him. She does so, doing her best to keep in line with his stride, “Can you give me a quick rundown?” he asked, handing off the file.

“Of course,” she squeaked, “The first disappearance occurred Thursday evening, around eight fifteen at night…the victim was a young woman, age twenty-three. Nothing too remarkable about her background…”

“Any kind of pattern?”

“Not that any of us could find, sir. The victims all seem to be different ages, different socio-economic backgrounds…the timing they disappeared doesn’t even seem consistent. The only factor happens to be they’ve disappeared from the general location every time.”

“Seems pretty obvious what the connection is then.”

“Right, but when a team was sent out to investigate the industrial district, they turned up nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“No traces of any of the first three victims. Another three went missing over the course of the next two days.”

“So this is a case of wrong place, wrong time…what about the photos captured by the security mainframe?”

She shrugged, “No one has noticed anything particularly strange in that area. Haeger assumed that the dark images in the photos were some sort of interference.”

“Haeger is an idiot if he thinks that’s just interference…”

“I’ll have to agree with you there, sir. There were a number of images that caught my eye and-”

“Glad I spoke to you. You seem to know a lot about this case for someone who isn’t assigned to it.”

“Eheh, that comes with the territory of being Commander Praxis’s secretary…Please don’t tell her, as I’m not supposed to be reading through all the case files.”

“I won’t if you won’t.”

“Of course, sir.”

* * * * *

Several hours had passed since the exchange, and the sun set on Haven City, making an already dark sky even more bleak. The orange streetlights reflected from the clouds, giving them a more ominous look than nature would have intended.

Jak had taken his leave from the consulate building for the day, throwing up his hood and stepping out in the rain. He had left the file and all it’s notes behind, but whether that was up to protocol, or simply because he had learned everything he had needed to, was up for debate. Although, instead of heading home for the evening, he made his way to Haven’s port. It was there where he set out for a very familiar venue.

Water stuck against the vibrant neon tubes that illuminated half the block, creating a glowing mist. He let out a soft sigh and smiled as he made his way to the door, pushing inside and being met with a swell of noise from dozens of equally exhausted bar patrons. Without removing any of his equipment, or his soaked cloak, he pushed his way through the crowded and dimly lit space. Eventually, he found the counter, leaning against its worn and slightly sticky surface. He was greeted by the face of a woman he did not know, moving faster than he had seen any human move in his life.

She began stuffing cleaned glasses on to the shelves underneath the bar, and her dull, violet eyes locked with Jak’s for a second.

“What’ll it be?” she barked in a voice that sounded as if she had been gargling asphalt. She reeked of tobacco, and her face looked tired for someone who appeared so young. She rolled her eyes and pulled back her dark hair before resting her hands on her hips and tapping her foot.

“Nothing,” he shot back, disinterested in her apparent disdain, “Is Daxter around?”

She groaned, “You’re going to have to wait…I’m backed up at the moment.”

“That’s fine…” he replied, not paying her much mind.

She responded with a grunt as she went back to preparing drinks for the rows of patrons, aggressively shoving cash and credits in her face. Jak didn’t seem to mind the wait. He merely stood at the end of the counter and idly watched other people without thinking.

He was pulled out of his daze as a gently overflowing tankard slid down the bar, spilling over as it knocked into his arm. He looked up and then smiled as he was met with a familiar, furry face. The ottsel grinned and rested his hands on his hips.

“To what do we owe the honor?” Daxter asked as extravagantly and jokingly as usual.

“You,” Jak replied bluntly, but not before giving his friend a slight smile.

“If you’re asking me to be the godfather, you know my answer,” he continued throwing back a drink of his own, “I’m not the fatherly type, buddy. You know that.”

“No,” Jak shook his head, “That’s not what I was going to ask you, but good to know.”

“I’m offended,” he scoffed, “You won’t even consider me to be the godfather of your only child!”

“I…” Jak blinked, “I…I don’t have time to do this with you.”

“Lighten up,” Daxter chuckled, “It’s just a joke.”

“I know, I know…” Jak nodded.

“What’s got you so twisted up then? I mean, it’s not like that’s not how you usually are.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Again, lighten up. Just a joke. Everybody’s so damn serious lately.”

“Yeah, your bartender seems…uh…like she’s the friendly type.”

“Jaenelle? Nah, she’s great. Makes the best cocktail in the city. I’m lucky to have her, we’’re just shorthanded is all. I’m just saying it wouldn’t kill us to have some competition in this fuckin’ city.”

“The downfalls of being the only bar left in Haven, I guess.”

“Woe be unto me…or something! Anyway, so what is the reason that brings you down this way?”

“I’m here on consulate business.”

“What does the consulate need with me? I swear I haven’t done anything-”

“You’re not in any kind of trouble.”

“I’d think about your phrasing then next time, pal.”

“That’s fair. But I’m on a case. I’m not really supposed to be, so can you keep this between us?”

Daxter canted his head and nodded, “Yeah? Still trying to figure out how this relates to me.”

“Is there someone quieter we can talk?” Jak asks, taking a gulp of his beer.

Daxter nodded again and hopped down off the bar, gesturing for Jak to follow him. He pushed away from the bar and walked behind the counter, following Daxter into a back room. They closed the door and the ottsel looked at his counterpart expectantly.

“So?” Daxter began, “What’s this all about?”

“I was wondering if you could tell me about any disappearances in the industrial district,” Jak spoke, “You’re closer to the scene, and people tend to be more willing to share things they wouldn’t share with a Haven official with their bartender. So, have you heard anything?”

Daxter looks over his shoulder and remains quiet. It seemed as if he was waiting for someone to burst through the door, but no one came. He crossed his arms and turned back to Jak.

“People talk, a lot…the people in this part of the city are scared out of their minds and I can tell you that a lot more than a handful of people went missing so far. Just Ashelin doesn’t have her mitts on a report, doesn’t mean some messed-up stuff isn’t happening in the industrial district.”

“Dax, I’m supposed to be in charge of this case…if other people really have gone missing, you need to tell me.”

Daxter crossed his arms, “Personally? I haven’t seen anything weird. Does that mean it’s not happening? No. I just haven’t seen anything weird. I can only tell you what I heard, that’s it.”

Jak paused and mulled over his thoughts for a long time. He turned his attention back to Daxter and raised a brow. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking,” Daxter spoke up, his fur visibly bristling, “You’d better not be! I know that look!”

“I just think it might be worth while to go have a look,” Jak replied, impishly.

“No, no, NO!” he cawed, “There is no way I’m going to go sticking my nose around a crime scene with you. I like living, thank you!”

“Not even for old time’s sake?”

“I had a feeling you’d say something like that…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It's me. The sheikah...anyway I want to sort of continue the story by letting y'all know that while I DID rate it M for mature audiences, I don't exactly think the story is too-too M rated, but I didn't feel right by leaving it at T for Teen either. So bear in mind it sits sort of in between those two ratings.
> 
> ALSO (and I know this is a long note), if there's something I find that I've written that I deem to be particularly triggering I WILL put a disclaimer at the top of the page instead of the bottom. This may or may not be the last time I put the chapter notes at the bottom of the page in general?? But I do think this wall-o-text at the beginning would be gross. Anyway I think just any TWs will go at the beginning.
> 
> ALSO ALSO! If I put something in this story that you found particularly upsetting and I did not properly warn you for it, I am sorry and please let me know! A. So I can avoid it in the future and B. so I can go back and, you know, tag it properly. I think going and adding tags at along as the story goes to the tags section on the page could get sticky, so TWs in the notes on a chapter by chapter basis I feel would be easier.
> 
> Anyway that's all I have to say. Jak and Daxter doesn't belong to me, I think and please don't sue me over this.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Starry-Skinned Wanderer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: This chapter contains depictions of fantasy violence, body horror, and some violence against animals.

Chapter 2.  
The Starry-Skinned Wanderer

“I sure hope you find something,” Daxter scoffed, the indigence in his voice clear as they waded through the nighttime darkness, “I never liked this part of the city at night.”

It was difficult for either of them to discern the time. Evening had progressed well into the night, and possibly into the early hours of the morning and the rainfall was aggressive as ever. A soft fog rolled through the industrial quarter, covering the heavy metal roadways and catching every ray of red light that peppered the steel walls surrounding them. Between that and the slick sheen that the rain gave, the district became a very somber and unwelcoming place.

“Neither have I…” Jak replied, his weapon drawn and resting in his hands as his finger hovered near the trigger, “But it seems the attacks occur more frequently at night so-”

“Wait…” he paused, “You didn’t say anything about attacks!”

“They…” Jak began, letting out a long sigh, “They were kidnapped…that implies some kind of assault…”

“I swear,” Daxter growled as the sounds of his companion’s boots clanking against the wet metal echoed through the space.

“You’ll what?” he replied with a light chuckle, “You agreed to come with me.”

Daxter’s fur visibly raised as he narrowed his eyes and muttered something beneath his breath. Jak only rolled his eyes and shook his head in response.

“Scene’s not far from here…” Jak spoke up, “Less than a block away…”

“I’m surprised Ashelin sent you out,” Daxter replied innocently.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked, sounding on the defensive as he pressed on towards his destination.

“Keira,” Daxter replied flatly.

“What about her?”

He furrows his brow and rolls his eyes, resting silently on Jak’s shoulder as his companion persists.

“What?” Jak snaps after a prolonged silence.

“If you don’t get it, I’m not gonna explain it to you.”

Jak snorted derisively and shrugged his shoulders, “Whatever…”

The tension between the pair in that moment was palpable and weighed heavily on the pair. However, it became clear that the pressure in the area wasn’t entirely due to the boy’s passive aggression. Jak paused, resting his gun at his side as he gripped his chest for a moment. Daxter canted his head and looked over his friend with some slight concern.

“You feelin’ alright?” he questions, raising a brow.

“No…” Jak grumbled, shaking his head, “You don’t feel that?”

Daxter just shook his head, “Can’t say that I do…I just feel cold and wet…”

“It feels like it’s getting worse…” Jak grunted as he pressed a finger to his temple, approaching the nearest alleyway, “My head…”

“We should turn around…” Daxter replied, his fur bristling as they moved closer.

The more they moved towards the point of exerted pressure, the darker it seemed to become. It was as if the light in the space was being eaten by some kind of warped phantasm. At first, Jak nodded in agreement, but couldn’t seem to move. His legs refused to obey as he stood still within the space. It was as if he was being driven by some force to continue to move, but his will told him to turn back.

It seemed as if his will proved to be the stronger, as he managed to break his hold and take a step back, but as soon as his boot hit the ground, a voice called out.

“ _Help me…_ ” it called out, sounding desperate and feeble.

“There’s someone down there…” Jak began, taking a hold of his weapon.

“Oh no, no, NO!” Daxter protested, “You ever think there’s a REASON those people went missing!? There’s such a thing as bait, Jak!”

“Or there’s someone down there who might need our help!” he retorted, cocking his gun and taking off for the passageway.

As soon as they rounded the corner, the pair seemed to be met with a wall of blackness. Jak whipped around towards the street but found nothing. It seemed to be an endless corridor of darkness.

“Wh-wh…” Daxter began, digging his claws into Jak’s shoulder, “Where’s the street…”

Jak didn’t say anything, he just continued to move down the alleyway.

“Jak…where’s the street?” Daxter asked, sounding more panicked.

A soft giggling followed, echoing throughout the space. Jak’s ears flicked as he looked around, seeing a shadow dart past out of the corner of his eye. He turned, lifting his weapon to shoot, but whatever it was, was gone.

“ _Please…_ ” the voice called out once again, sounder closer than it had been previously, “ _Help…_ ”

“Jak…” Daxter called out, though it seems he was content on ignoring the ottsel for the time being, “Uhm…Jak?”

He only huffed as he made his way through, not noticing that the alleyway seemed to be sloping downwards.

“Jak…JAK!”

“What!?”

“It’s…changed…”

He opened his mouth, likely to ask what Daxter had meant, but he looked around and noticed that they were no longer in the alleyway, but rather in a chamber.

It towered over the pair, seemingly stretching up for eternity, as there was no light at the end of the space. The metal and brickwork of the surrounding buildings had been stretched and twisted into an industrial vortex. Fire escapes, stairwells and windows had been bent and contorted into impossible shapes as the metal catwalks and rafters had created an endless maze of steel above them.

“Hello?” Jak called out, though it seemed as if his call was swallowed by the anomaly. He tried speaking again, but to no avail.

The giggling persisted and several small, beady, glowing eyes of muddy colors seemed to poke through the warping windows, watching the pair as the arrived in the eye of the lair. Shapes began to appear around the unblinking eyes, turning from shapeless masses of black to something vaguely humanoid.

They said nothing, only laughed as the soft, childlike giggling turned into a flurry of hideous cackling. The sound didn’t seem to have a point of origin, and festered inside their heads like one thousand intrusive thoughts.

Jak threw his hands over his ears and let out a silent scream, though it seemed Daxter was largely unaffected. He watched as his companion seemed to fall prone to whatever power the pocket of reality had. He tried getting Jak’s attention, shaking his arm and calling out to him, but it was all lost.

Something large stirred above them, rattling the rafters as its massive form snaked in between the structures. A massive snake of blackened ooze flowed down towards the pair with little grace or elegance, but as its body hit the ground, the rumble that followed was a clear display of its power. It rose up as a number of eyes of varying sizes rose up beneath the ooze and turned to look down at the duo.

Two metal arms stretched from underneath the oily form and plunged into the ground, releasing the powerful stench of octane and gasoline. At what first seemed to be wires intertwined within its limbs was slowly revealed to veins and humanoid musculature. Several more arms pushed through the body as the slick substance began coating the floor. Both of them looked up in shock and abject terror as a mouth of scrap metal opened into gaping chasm leading into nothing.

It was at that moment, they noticed something stuck to the creature’s skin. It seemed to be an ottsel, but not one they had ever seen before.

It was much smaller, with dark fur that seemed to shift between black, violet, and a deep navy. It’s ears were large, and hanging limp around its face. Its tail flicked feebly between it’s legs and seemed as if it was made of smoke, sending off dusky wisps as it moved. It opened its large, shimmering eyes as it looked over at the pair and called out.

“ _Please…help…_ ” it croaked before falling limp.

Jak’s arms shook, still unable to orient himself or focus as he raised his weapon and placed his finger on the trigger. Daxter tried yelling something into his ear, but it sounded like muffled noise, as if he was hearing under water. Instinctively, he pushed Daxter away, causing him to come crashing to the concrete below as he set off a shot in the mysterious ottsel’s direction. 

It barely misses, but manages to strike the horror in the side, releasing the creature with a loud howl and a slurry of black ooze that sprayed across the ground. The monster reeled back and threw a gruesome claw in Jak’s direction, knocking him back and knocking his weapon out of his hands.

He scrambled to his feet, but seemed to stop in his tracks. He looked down at his leg to notice that a coil of sludge had wrapped around his ankle, keeping him tethered to his spot. He lowered his weapon to shoot at the vile appendage when he was suddenly hoisted into the air, and hung above the beast’s face. Its eyes focused on him and seemed to let out a sound that resembled metal grinding against metal. It took him a moment to realize the thing was laughing at him.

It opened its mouth and the stench of industrial waste burst forth, assaulting his senses. The endless chasm of its throat suddenly seemed to ignite with deep orange light, and heat spewed forth. It was at that moment he realized that the creature was laughing at him; it was taunting him before he swallowed him up in the fire roiling inside.

In a moment of desperation, he reached for his gun, only to realize he had never retrieved it. His eyes widened for a moment as he came face to face with the end. His fists clenched and his heart pounded, but he couldn’t seem to react, other than just watch as his body was lowered inside.

“Just going to give up!” another voice giggled as the tendril was severed, and Jak was pushed back.

His body collided with the ground as he rolled across the pavement, looking up at his rescuer. It appeared to be a young woman, maybe about five years younger than he. She was a petite thing, perhaps too frail to be fighting, dressed in a short but billowy black dress and heels. Her short, light hair was pushed out of her face by a ribbon. Clutched in her hands was a bright, white short sword, and a gleaming gold shield in the other.

Her appearance seemed to quell the madness that surrounded them, as Jak’s hearing became clear and the laugher that drowned him out seemed to fade. She looked over her shoulder and smiles.

“I’ve got this one!” she chimed, sounding irritatingly chipper for the situation, “You take care of them!”

She continued, pointing to the small, unconscious creature on the ground. She didn’t wait for him to respond as she leapt into the air, over the head of the beast and driving her blade into the body of the attacking beast.

It reeled back it’s ugly head and spewed forth a wave of fire in the woman’s direction. At first, it seemed to drown the young woman in orange flames, but as it’s powerful belch faded, she remained strong, hoisting her shield above her head as she was surrounded by a bright light. The radiant power seemed to repel the monster, which gave the young woman another opportunity to strike.

Her protective barrier faded as she slid underneath it’s slithering body. She plunged the blade into its skin and forced the brunt of the blade. Its stomach split and a wave of hot ooze spilled on to the ground. Jak then jumped to his feet and rushed to the aid of the fading ottsel on the ground. He quickly cradled its dark body in his arms, and ran from the molten oil that seemed to be flooding the space.

It felt almost weightless in his arms, and felt as if he might break the little thing if he held it the wrong way. However, it turned to look at him and opened its eyes. Much like it’s ever-shifting fur, its eyes seemed to be littered with what looked like stars, that gave off a pale but mesmerizing light. Within the spacey expanse of its face, he could make out what looked like a smile from the thing.

“ _Thank you…_ ” it spoke.

He couldn’t quite explain why, but he felt calm as he held on to the creature. He’d felt a sensation like this once before, but shook it off as he came back to reality, just in time to watch the ugly beast fall to the ground, dead.

The young woman let out a tired sigh as she dusted off her sleeves and moved towards the center of the chamber, watching as the beast sunk deep into the earth. Out of the sludge and metal and frayed muscle tissue, she pulled a gently pulsing orb from the ooze. It was small enough to fit between her thumb and index finger, but bright enough to blind someone should they look at it too long.

She kept her face gently turned away from the item as she approached Jak. He reeled back for a moment as she leaned over the body of the creature in his arms. Without invitation or warning, she placed the item against its chest, and it slowly faded into its ever-shifting form. The light faded, and it seemed that whatever she had pulled from the body of the beast had just become another speck of light buried within the cosmic coat.

“Who…are you?” Jak finally asked, without realizing that the space began to meld and warp back into the droll and unremarkable alleyway it had once been.

“That’s not important right now,” she replied with a light shrug, “What is important is that my friend is in need of care…and is in danger.”

She let out a soft sigh as she tussled the ears of the creature and it stirred, if only for a moment, before settling back down in Jak’s arms.

“I understand you’re very confused-” she began.

“That’s an understatement,” Jak snapped as rain began to pour down on their heads.

“I was warned that you might be…” she pondered, likely thinking of the right word, “Coarse…but I’m prepared to deal with that. My partner is often difficult too.”

“That tells me nothing about you…” Jak huffs, “And that’s annoyingly vague. Who are you. What is this thing? And more importantly, what was that thing?”

“Ah…” she nods, “I suppose those are all fair questions, but I really do need to get going. That creature? There are others, and given that Haven City is the largest settlement for miles, you’ll likely be seeing more in the coming days. Don’t worry! As soon as I find my partner, I’ll happily explain everything to you, but for now I need you to take care of my friend…”

She let out another dreamy sigh as she began to scratch the chin of the creature.

“They’re very dear to me.”

“What makes you think I’ll-”

“Your case is closed now, thanks to me. All I ask is that you look after my friend for a few hours.”

“How did you-”

“I know a lot of things…”

She gave him a knowing smile and tapped her nose before turning away and heading down the alley. Jak opened his mouth to call out to her, but she just vanished somehow. He seemed a bit dumbfounded before he felt something smack him hard against the side of his head.

Daxter stood close behind, clutching a chunk of rubble in his hands. He wound his arm back and threw the rock at Jak, striking him once again. He looked angry and betrayed as he picked up a nearby piece of trash, a tin can, and lobbed it in Jak’s direction.

“What the HELL!?” Daxter practically wailed as Jak managed to narrowly dodge the makeshift projectile, “You…you just-”

“I was trying to-” Jak tried to retort in an attempt to defend himself.

“You just LEFT ME!” Daxter managed to shout over him, “You just threw me aside! For that thing! I could have been killed!”

Jak was silent. He wanted to call out Daxter’s selfish and cowardly nature, but in that moment, he just couldn’t find it within himself. His expression turned to that of poorly disguised guilt as he looked down at the creature in his arms, softly breathing as its numerous wounds began slowly sealing shut. In the end, he knew Daxter was right.

His friend dropped the refuse in his hand and turned away, letting out a defeated huff and wandering out on to the street.

“Daxter,” Jak called out, “Wait…”

“Leave…me…alone…” Daxter snapped, wading through the rain.

“At least let me drive you back…”

The ottsel stopped, his arms crossed and shoulders slumped forward as to shield from the storm.

“Fine…” he agreed, reluctantly.

* * * * * 

Jak had carelessly lost track of time as he came to the steps of a sizable row home buried in the consulate building’s district. He stepped up to the door and seemed a bit relieved as the door was locked and the lights were dimmed. He quietly made his way inside with the strange creature still in his arms.

Once he was inside, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he closed the door, and rested his forehead against the cool surface.

“Jak?” a soft, groggy voice called from the nearest room.

He peered around the corner to notice Keira, shaking off sleep as it seemed she had slumped over in a chair waiting for him. It was clear that she was due to give birth any day, and that waiting for him was an incredibly poor idea.

“Don’t…don’t get up…” he spoke, turning on the nearest light and moving into the den with her.

“What happened to you?” she asked, staggering to her feet and resting a hand on her stomach.

“It’s…a long story…” Jak sighed.

“Uh…yeah…” she replied, crossing her arms, “Ashelin contacted me…”

“Oh…”

“What do you mean OH!? You took on a case…now!? And by the wa-” she began, stopping before she noticed the creature, “What is that?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, bluntly.

“You…don’t know? And you brought it into our house…because?”

“You’re going to think I’m crazy-”

“I already think you’re crazy. You look terrible, by the way…that doesn’t make me any less worried.”

“I’m not going to tell you not to be mad at me. All I’m going to say is that I felt taking on a case was the right thing to do.”

It was silent between the pair for a long time. Keira looked furious as she bit her nails and paced back and forth for a minute.

“You really should be sleeping,” Jak finally spoke up.

“Don’t start acting like you care now,” she growled, waving him off, “Is that thing hurt?”

“Excuse me?”

“Is it hurt? It looks like it needs some help.”

“It was worse a few hours ago.”

“What do you mean it was worse?”

“I mean-” Jak began before letting out a groan and rolling his eyes, “I can explain, but you’re not gonna believe me.”

“I’ve seen weirder…so start talking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY GARBAGE I'm sorry it's taken me forever to update. Anyway, I'm going to be putting the content/trigger warnings at the top on a chapter by chapter basis (while trying to remain as spoiler free as possible). So if I forget or you think I didn't accurately depict a proper content warning, a. I apologize, and b. please let me know! I would like to be as thorough as possible :)
> 
> Also I will TRY to be more on-top of updating (but as I work for a school and it is the end of the year, things are v crazy :V)
> 
> Please leave me comments and stuff <3 If you're reading I'd love to know what you think so far!!

**Author's Note:**

> [Something something, don't sue me. I don't own Jak and Daxter. Something something please read this and comment. I am so lonely. Disclaimer over]


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